Welcome to Litsy!

Just started this today, and Zola served me a very descriptive DV 🥴

About 6 weeks left in 2024, and I have 6 titles left for this series. Can I do it? Can I? 🤪

My mother only has photos taken of her children. Never anything else. I haven't got any photographs of Vinh Long, not one, of the garden, the river, the straight tamarind-lined avenues of the French conquest, not of the house, nor of our institutional whitewashed bedrooms with the big black and gilt iron beds, lit up like classrooms by the red street lights, the green metal lamp-shades, not a single image of those incredible places...

3⭐️ This is a thought-provoking novel that offers a compelling exploration of the artistic struggle between creative vision and commercial success. The story follows Claude Lantier, a talented but troubled painter, as he navigates the Parisian art scene. His struggles feel authentic but the supporting characters are not as engaging

Finally managed to find a pretty enough edition of In Search of Lost Time. Definitely going to be one of my 2025 reading projects 🥰

A young girl who doesn‘t want her life with her widowed father to change attempts to sabotage his new relationship after he announces his engagement. Such a slim novel that manages to still be weighty. Famously written by a teenaged Sagan, the main character may be juvenile but the examination of human nature is unflinching.
#24in2024

(1731) It's a story of faithlessness and devotion that inspired two brilliant operas, either of them better than the book. Without music I expected to loathe both principals: her for her deception, him for his blind devotion. But both are more complex: Manon is an ambitious woman who seeks to rise by means available to her and Des Grieux is an unreliable narrator who may be a greater liar than Manon. Mixed feelings but more engaging than expected.

For a short book, this felt remarkably long. It is a translation from French, about a middle aged woman, Anna, who has a wonderful relationship with Guillaume. One summer she becomes obsessed with another man, with whom she embarks on an unusual affair. She is torn between the two men and much of the time is spent in her head trying to justify. She‘s an incredibly selfish and self-centred character and I just didn‘t care about the outcome.

Long short stories. Not too good short stories.

September wrap! I usually read a decent mix of genres across both fiction and non-fiction, but September was a heavy NF month with some solids picks too.